Return To The Black Farm

Peter Topside

Rating: really liked it
The original was going to be very hard to top, but this came as close as possible. Return to the Black Farm is very much a direct sequel to The Black Farm, but it dove much deeper into heaven, hell, and that awful place between the two. The last portion of the book definitely makes you think on some of the more intense spiritual concepts, but elicits the feelings that it wants the reader to experience. There were a few times that I questioned some of the decisions with certain characters, but I reserved judgment to see how it all played out, ending the book as a satisfied fan. The violence and gore is also greatly reduced here, as it should have been after the extreme aspects of the first book. The ugliness came from many other places, beyond physical means, and that’s what truly set this apart from its predecessor. The tension was also so thick at times, that you could cut through it with an axe (Nick!), and some of the action scenes were just really amazing to visualize. However, the constants here from the author are clear and crisp writing, great storytelling, and a pair of books that left a lasting impression on this horror junkie. I have never enjoyed a set of books this much, aside from my own (Technically a trilogy, but you get the point), but am more than happy to give each one a stellar 5-star rating. I so look forward to seeing what else Elias Witherow comes up with, whether more from The Farm, or other equally dynamic and intriguing tales.

Uptown Horror Reviews

Rating: really liked it
The first Black Farm was my favorite book read in 2020, so I came in with high hopes for the sequel.

Although it didn't personally top the first book, it is only a hair behind. This sequel isn't anywhere near as extreme or grotesque as the first book, but what makes this novel so good is the backstory that we learn about this world and all of the lore that we learn about The Black Farm. Just when we thought we knew everything there was to know about The Black Farm, Elias Witherow just peels back all of the layers and shows us whats going on behind the scenes.

It's an amazing book with a heartfelt ending and while not as good as the first book (in my opinion), it is still miles better than most other things you will read. 5/5 stars.

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Nikki

Rating: really liked it
Not quite as good as the first one, but still pretty darn awesome! Absolutely loved where the author went with this one, and how and why he ended up back at The Black Farm.

Cassi

Rating: really liked it
An absolutely heart breaking tale. By the end of it I was almost fuming mad, and had to put the book down for a few minutes. Unlike the first book, this one doesn't rely on shock and terror gore, and tells its story through the characters, and gut wrenching plot. It pained me, almost physically pained me to finish this book, because as I drew to the end I knew what was coming. The shock and terror gore are still there, but they're there with a purpose, and it doesn't feel like the author is trying to get a rise out of you with scary imagery. The story keeps you going, keeps you wondering what's going to happen next, and is an absolute page turner. Five stars for wonderful story telling, an understandable and well driven plot, and characters you just want to cling to. In order to read this book you're going to have to be prepared to question what you know about religion, and not know what's good or just anymore.

Todd Condit

Rating: really liked it
4.5
Just as hardcore as the first but this time we have a child thrown in and even more emotional abuse.

Lots of disturbing things in here that I won't go into, but it is not for the faint of heart. Blood, abuse, ultraviolet, sexual assault/abuse mixed with a deep and depressing theme.

Gotta root for the main character. I hope there is a part 3.

Jeremy Maddux

Rating: really liked it
This one fired on all cylinders except for one. There was one thing that I couldn't find a use for in my reading experience, and it was the Mudmen. They seemed way too cartoony and ridiculous to belong in the pages of this otherwise very dark, very adult story. I knew the ending wouldn't be a happy one, but I honestly expected much worse than the bittersweet victory I read in the closing chapter. I do feel like Witherow can still bookend this series with one more volume and close out before it becomes excessive.

Taylor

Rating: really liked it
A terrifying, beautiful masterpiece!

Elias has a way of painting a picture like no other. Make sure you are prepared, because you will venture deep into the madness that is the Black Farm, more evil than it ever was before. In this grotesque tale, Nick will discover who he really is, and how far he will go.. to save what he loves.

Frankie Yates

Rating: really liked it
A lot of the time, sequels just don’t live up to the first novel. I cannot say the same for Return To The Black Farm. I started and finished this in the same day, I couldn’t put it down.
Unlikely friendships, more barbaric creatures, more torture and death… and throw a child into the mix for good measure.
Wow. Just wow. I genuinely have no negatives at all. Even the ending was perfect, a proper gut punch. Thank you Elias Witherow for taking the time to put your twisted ideas to paper, they’re like nothing I have ever read before.

Rikke NordRavn

Rating: really liked it
I read that mother in one sitting - it was that good. I even stopped reading "real" books, and resorted to short stories only - because most books just bore me half way. But not this! While not as good as the first one, it is absolutely an amazing sequel.
I did disconnect a little with the moral of the story, and the whole 'i'm a better man for having a baby' type deal - but all in all it didn't take anything from the story, and also I do feel it was the logical route to go with this story anyways.

Robert Barfoot

Rating: really liked it
Witherow has absolutely smashed it out of the park with his follow up to The Black Farm!

The first book was interesting and the concept intriguing, yet it left me wanting more character development, a better passage of time and a more detailed description of the vast land that is The Black Farm to really allow me to get sucked in to this horrific world. Thankfully Witherow delivered and we return to The Black Farm, traversing the world which now feels more full of life (and death), it feels bigger, more dangerous and a hell of a lot more interesting. The descriptive element to Witherow's writing can be a little repetitive at times; which is the only negative I can possibly conjure up.

The story is fully immersive and you find yourself genuinely invested in the characters, some new and some familiar.

We get answers to the questions we all undoubtedly raised as the first book came to an end, some of which are welcome and others we wish we never enquired about.

But above everything else, this more character-centred plot takes on a whole new, slightly less gruesome, yet considerably more emotional turn and is hands down the best book I have read in a very long time.

Jack

Rating: really liked it
The prequel to this book (The Black Farm) is one of my favorite books, and this book will either also make this list, or be very close to it. I loved how raw and brutal the original one was, and this book returns with more of the same.

I think that the book may have been too short, or I enjoyed it too much. I would have been fine if it was longer, but at the right part. When it started to go into the ending, it seemed to drag on and on until we really got into the ending, and then it was a good pace again. But again, it may have just been that I enjoyed this book too much and was reading it faster than other books.

The book starts with an excellent recap. It doesn't feel forced and it's not obvious that it's giving a recap. It's more of saying certain things to jog the memory of the reader and letting the reader do the heavy lifting. Excellent job!

So based on the name of the book "Return to the Black Farm," you know that someone is going back to the black farm. This is revealed pretty early, but in case you want it completely a mystery... (view spoiler)[An angel appears to Nick and threatens him, telling him that the Farm is in ruins and a mess and Nick has to go back to fix things because he's the only one who can. Of course Nick is reluctant, so the angel shows Nick a vision of his family being brutally killed as a threat as to what would happen if Nick does not cooperate. The angel also promises that once everything is fixed, Nick can be returned to his life. (hide spoiler)] It's an... interesting idea. Pretty much the only way I can think of for forcing anyone to return to the Black Farm, but felt that it could have been better somehow. The only thing I can think of, is making the life so bad of the family that they feel that killing themselves and facing the Black Farm is worth it. Or maybe killing each other and trying to stay out of the Black Farm on a technicality if they didn't directly kill themselves?

There are some things in this book that at first glance seem to be done just for shock value. (view spoiler)[The immediate thing that comes to mind is Nick attacking and gouging out the eyes of an angel so that he can talk to God about Emily (a little girl whom Nick meets who had accidentally killed herself). It may seem that the encounter could have just been Nick threatening and/or being scary, but didn't have to resort to him actually attacking the angel. When I read that part, I wanted to mention how it seemed unnecessary, but we find out (more of this later) that God is very focused on cause and effect. Because Nick attacked an angel, there has to be a punishment. Nick ate the flesh of an angel in the first book, so he was forced to return to the Black Farm in this book. So maybe it's not unnecessary if it's setting up Nick to do horrible things in terms of the plot. Nick does terrible things for a good cause, should he be punished for it? (hide spoiler)]

This book deals a lot with duality, and how a single person can be both good and bad depending on the circumstances. If you do something horrible for a good purpose, does the ends justifies the mean? How far does that go? That brings me to the ending... (view spoiler)[After attacking and maiming an angel, Nick is taken to speak directly to God. There were some pieces of this part that were interesting, but overall I found it unsatisfying and not fully explained. It was interesting that God was just a regular guy alone in a cabin, relaxing on the porch, but it was not fully explained why if he stops smoking humankind would end, just kind of mentioned in passing. Is it because it preoccupies him, and without it to distract him bad things would happen? Does it calm him down? Is the tobacco somehow providing our air/sustenance to some extent? It just doesn't make sense and isn't fully explained. It was interesting how when everybody is born, their soul is "duplicated" or exists in heaven and then when a person dies their actions and "goodness" causes their soul to sink based on how bad they were. If they were considered "bad", they would sink all the way to hell. So everybody goes to heaven when they die, but their actions determine whether they stay there or sink to hell. Definitely an interesting concept. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[The ending was very sad to the point where I was weepy eyed, especially having a daughter that was probably about the age of Theo when Nick returned to the Black Farm. Nick says that he will only return if Emily is spared because of how unfair it was that she was sent there. God allows for it, but warns Nick that there will be consequences. Makes me wonder if he would have just returned w/o Emily if this wouldn't have happened, because it seems like it should either way as a consequence of his previous actions (mainly maiming the angel). Nick returns and finds that his son has aged to the point where they are both the same age, meaning that Nick missed all of Theo's childhood. I think that's one of the worst things that could happen, missing your child's whole childhood and them going from being a toddler to an adult overnight. It's also revealed that Emily ends up being Theo's wife, which is actually kind of a benefit not only for Theo but also Emily. (hide spoiler)]

Definitely enjoyed this book, and while I was writing this review it confirmed that I am going to consider it a favorite and give it a perfect review! Highly recommend!

April Elizabeth

Rating: really liked it
Very well rounded story, especially for a sequel. I got a bit more of Danny, which I loved.
Some scenes were a bit hard to handle given the ages of Theo and Emily when they happened.. but at the same time, though grotesque and horrendous, they were scene and plot appropriate.
The bittersweet ending felt suitable given the nature of the book.

Bailey

Rating: really liked it
It's been a while since I've felt so affected by a story. The Black Farm is everything a human could fear, and so much more.

Nick's spiral into unconditional and warranted violence is so tragically beautiful. You can palpate the internal conflict so well. The writing is compelling, the character development is perfectly heartbreaking, and the pilot delivers blow after blow of heart stopping dismay.

Return to the Black Farm did not disappoint. Nick's story continues in the worst of ways, and the entire journey was master class in how anyone can become brutally violent when pushed hard enough. It's raw and emotional.

I wasn't expecting the violence against a small child, especially one the same age as my own child. That was brutal to read (ch 15) and was the first instance I had to stop reading, take a breath, and continue. Nick's pain in watching that unfold was believable, because I felt it too. Emily didn't deserve any of that.

And God is as much of a fuckin sadistic bastard as most can believe. I was in tears reading that chapter. The indifference to Nick's please of compassion for Emily was heartbreaking and rage-inducing.

The ending ripped my heart out, but it tried to stop the bleeding and put it back, although it's now forever affected by the Black Farm and the horrific bastards that run all of existence.

Katelyn

Rating: really liked it
Action and consequence.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‼️Possible Spoilers‼️
❗️Gore❗️

“Action and consequence.”

It’s rare I say the sequel is better than the first book but hot damn this is one of them. Redemption arc on point and I think I’ve fallen in love with Danny and would LOVE to see a spin off of either his story or some aftermath from this book. It didn’t feel like a meat market which the first book kind of did. It added to that world building and story and lore that I felt was breaking the surface in the first novel but this just expanded it so much. It took me a tenth of the time it took me to read the first and now after enjoying this so much I wish there was a spin off. But I think nicks been through enough so maybe not his character. Also. Titan like battle scene? Sold.

My favorite quotes:
- “Why don’t you put on some clothes before your dick catches pneumonia?”
- “Everyone goes to heaven when they die. It’s up to you if you stay.”
- “It was like watching bodies being thrown into a shredder.”

Carrie Shields

Rating: really liked it
This book also messed me all the way up: the sequel.

I was overjoyed at the end of THE BLACK FARM. I was all about the happy ending. Nick left the Farm in ruins and completely destroyed the fragile balance that exists there. Not his problem, right? Yeah, you'd be wrong.

Nick and Jess have been given a second chance at life, they have a child, and their relationship is stronger than ever. But one night a stranger appears in Nick's home and tells him he has to go back. Using his wife and child as an example, he shows Nick just what will happen to them if he refuses. Against everything in him screaming "no", he once again embraces death, and once again he wakes up in The Black Farm.

At first I thought his experience wouldn't be as bad as his first; after all, he was familiar with the horrors, and he knew what to avoid. But he wasn't prepared for two things...the little girl, and what waited for him on the other side of the river.

If you have any curiosity at all about life after death and if we're really punished for our actions, I implore you to read THE BLACK FARM and RETURN TO THE BLACK FARM. The ending of this one absolutely shattered me, and both books will live rent-free in my head for a long, long time.